“My staff is working on looking at the different legislation fixes that we might be able to do and we might be able to introduce as early as tomorrow,” McCarthy told POLITICO in a Sunday afternoon phone interview.

Gun control activists cried it was time to reform weapons laws in the United States, almost immediately after a gunman killed six and injured 14 more, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in Arizona on Saturday.

At first blush, let’s not jump to conclusions. She says she plans to have a conversation with Speaker Boehner, and the legislation will only target high-capacity clips. She doesn’t want the NRA “targeting her” (her words), and she has long been on their watch list. We’ll have to see.

Other Dems are complaining about this being caused by the sunsetting of the assault rifle ban legislation, you know, that legislation they complained about in 2004, but never offered up legislation to re-authorize. More concerning, though

Pennsylvania Rep. Robert Brady, a Democrat from Philadelphia, told CNN that he also plans to take legislative action. He will introduce a bill that would make it a crime for anyone to use language or symbols that could be seen as threatening or violent against a federal official, including a member of Congress. (more on this at CNN)

We already have laws like that, that protect all Americans. What should concern us is the potential for abuse: who gets to determine what is threatening or violent? How could this possibly not get political? The vast majority of “threatening or violent” talk, particularly on the Internet, is nothing but bluster. It’s a shame that ever time there is a tragedy, some people, generally Democrats, want to rush to limit people’s Free Speech rights. If the language or symbols are actually threatening or violent, the current laws will cover the Congress Critters.

Some think the level of discourse in politics is overboard, particularly those on the left, simply because their Party was in control the last two years. But, as the saying goes “be careful what you wish for. You may get it.”

3 Responses to “After Shooting, Dems Will Introduce Gun And Speech Control Bills”

It’s a shame that ever time there is a tragedy, some people, generally Democrats, want to rush to limit people’s Free Speech rights. If the language or symbols are actually threatening or violent, the current laws will cover the Congress Critters.

Its not so much WHAT they say but HOW they say it that keeps everyone stirred up politically.

[…] This was predictable, too. From the “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” department-Democrats Will Introduce Legislation Outlawing Inflammatory Language (Video) and After Shooting, Dems Will Introduce Gun And Speech Control Bills […]

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